I converted to Roman Catholicism AMA

[lightsandmirrors]

I was recieved into the Roman Catholic Church a few years ago, having previously been an atheist. Ask me anything and I will try to answer!

But you’re not worried about delegating your understanding of key issues of life, the universe and everything to the ‘solid answers’ of an institution that has exercised such poor, corrupt, misogynist judgement?

@SpeedofaSloth

And how do you feel about Pope Francis, compared to Benedict?

I like Pope Francis. Pope Benedict is before my time but from what I know a bit too Conservative for my liking.

What are the sacrifices you have had to make?
What do your family think?
Do you have children? What have you taught them about religion?

@Vagaries

Another cultural Catholic who finds it baffling why any person of average intelligence who has not been soaked in Catholicism from birth would actively choose to endorse a corrupt patriarchal institution which has been responsible for the sexual and economic abuse and detention of generations of women and children. (I make allowances to an extent for people of my parents’ generation, in whose psychological DNA It is.)

Why, if you were attracted to Christianity from having been an atheist, not choose a more liberal, progressive, egalitarian version, with a female priesthood or none, like Unitarianism or Quakerism?

I think I didn't choose a more Liberal denomination because they just seemed a bit 'wishy-washy'. I didn't want a church that just rolled with the times, although to a certain extent the Catholic Chuch definitely does do that just more slowly. I also didn't want a church which said its up to you to make your mind up.

I converted too about ten years ago as a young adult, but have since fallen away. I struggled with all the extra beliefs one has to have - not necessarily saying everything has to be explicitly in the Bible for it to be true, but there are some teachings about eg Mary that, to be a Catholic in good standing, you have to accept - even though to me they're at best an 'added extra' and at worst a stumbling block. I'm not sure in the sense we now mean in the earliest days of Christianity. I think the catholic (as in universal) church as it was originally founded by the apostles can probably be found in many denominations as to my understanding it just means all followers of Christ.
At first I liked the fact that all the teachings were laid out and therefore presumably reliable but after a while I started to feel coerced into accepting a lot of unnecessary stuff and not comfortable with the lack of freedom to make up my own mind.

Not really a question but just my thoughts and would be interested to hear yours.

I’m an atheist who was raised RC! I think being raised in a religion inoculates you against ‘finding religion’ as an adult.

Part of that post mysteriously disappeared, sorry! I was just saying the Roman Catholic Church isn't really what was originally meant by catholic (universal), in my opinion anyway. I don't think the Bishop of Rome was ever seen as a higher authority than any other church elders in the early years. That's going on what I've read but I could be wrong.

@AestheticWitch

Are you woman OP, how do you feel about its teachings with regard to women and the role of women in the church?

(Brought up Catholic too)

Yes I am a woman, and I don't have a problem with the teachings on the role of women. I have been offered opportunities to be more involved in the life of my church and I have taken up some of them. If I really wanted I feel I could have a position of importance but that's not really my kind of thing. A lot of people talk about Mary when asked this kind of question, saying how can the church be patriarchal when Mary is held in such high esteem as the Mother of God. I am not sure I totally buy that as it is often her typically 'feminine' virtues which are valued. BUT I do like that a woman has such a prominent and valued part of the church and that I can turn Mary as my Mother and a strong female presence.

@Tootletum

I have had a totally bizarre desire to do this for 20 years and have no idea why. I went to a Catholic service on a French exchange when I was 17 and have never forgotten it. Thing is, I can't hand on heart say I believe in god. I go to church, I just don't feel at all drawn to the blobbiness of the CoE. It keeps changing. Do you now go to church every week or less often? Do you do charity stuff? How did your family take it? My mother is a vicar and I think she'd be really hurt, which is why I've never pursued it.

I know what you mean about the CofE's blobinness. I go every week even when on holiday and to weekday masses every now and then as well. I used to go in the lunch break at work, but with the current situation that's not possible anymore. I want to do charity work but I am quite shy and have always bailed out BUT it is on my list, however since having a baby this year my free time has shrunk massively. I give a percentage of my income to charity instead. I was really rubbish about telling my family, mainly because I was embarrassed (which is awful) and worried what they would say. I only really told my mum, who came to my baptism. Then the rest of the family it just kind of filtered out naturally. They were all quite shocked but they are the nonconfrontational types so it just doesn't get discussed. I feel like if your mother is a vicar then she would understand that we all have to follow what we feel we might be being called to?

I’m an atheist married to a RC, ny children have been brought up RC although two have now chosen not to attend mass and are questioning their faith just now. I attend mass maybe 4 times a year sometimes more and always sit there thinking “really and not getting it” probably why I’m an atheist.

Anyway my point I have friends who are quite devout and practise NFP and give talks on it. To me how is NFP any different to using a condom or taking a pill? In NFP you are still deliberately preventing getting pregnant by only having sex during safe times, don’t see the difference between that and sticking a condom on really it’s still preventing. Why is one ok in the Catholic Church and the other not?

I think the “rules” were written by old men to control the poor and women and to breed more Catholics.

So what drew you to Catholicism was the lack of personal responsibility? It doesn't matter what you're told to do so long as someone else is calling the shots, so nothing is ever your fault?

That's complete anathema to what I consider a moral life, but I guess it's easier

@AllTheWhoresOfMalta

Came to ask the transubstantiation question but see it’s already taken.

So I’m going to ask did you previously consider yourself to be a feminist and if you did how does that tie in with your new found faith? I went to an RC school for sixth form and found the attitudes about women very, very distasteful and a reason as to why I could never be a Catholic.

I would say yes I do consider myself to be a feminist and did before I converted as well. Although only loosely. I am aware that it is a very loaded term and would need to do some more reading before I could tell you kind of feminist I was or wasn't. I haven't personally come across any attitudes expressed I found distasteful. Except for maybe once when a nun said to me all women are soft hearted...

I made the opposite journey, OP. Practicing Catholic to atheist, but oddly enough I see where you are coming from. If you’re going to see a band, go and see the Rolling Stones, not some rubbish tribute act. If you’re going to do Christianity, join the proper church, rather than some rubbish watered-down tribute act like the C of E which doesn’t appear to actually believe in anything.

Anyway, two questions:
Catholicism teaches that babies are born with ‘original sin’, which can only be removed by baptism. Do you agree? Are new-born babies really sinners?

Secondly, as a teenager attending a Catholic school, I was taught that “selfish sexual orgasm” , ie masturbation, was sinful. Do you agree? Does having a wank make you a sinner, and if so would you ask for absolution at confession?

@MushMonster

So how did this happen? What made you believe in GOD? Why christianity? And why catholic? I am catholic I would say (I believe in GOD and was raised in a catholic family), but I do not stick to all rules or really go to church much. I am ok with gay marriage. Divorce better to be avoided, work on the marriage, but if there is no way, I am ok with it. Abortion, I will not judge anyone, but I would not be able to do it. Yet, for medical reasons it is 100% different to me. I cannot bear Ireland's approach, a woman died of an infection after her foetus was already dead and all! And mothers can be forced to risk their health or complete pregnancies that will never be viable. I am pro contraception. I would never forget them for turning a blind eye to child abuse.

OP, dud addopting a faith change any if your views on these sort of things?

Yes adopting a faith pretty much changed my views on all these issues. Previously I would have agreed with what society general goes along with, prochoice, pro contraception, pro divorce etc etc. Changing my views on these things kind of felt like they came part and parcel with conversion. At the time I wished I had been a cradle Catholic so I could pick and choose what I believed. But because I was affirming my agreement with the church in my baptism, I knew I couldn't morally do it unless I accepted the difficult teachings. Otherwise it would have felt dishonest.

@custardbear

I'd be interested in whether you've experienced any empirical evidence that made you change your mind?

'Experienced' no, but I did read some things about quantum physics which really blew my mind and made me question the certainty with which my atheist self had previously viewed the world.

@ProudAuntie76

Have you read or studied any Theology of the Body, the teachings of Pope John Paul the Great?

I find it makes those “sacrifices” you speak of make sense and very beautiful and really helps to answer a lot of societies questions and misconceptions about Catholicism.

And congratulations! God Bless x

I have thank you but not in depth. They certainly helped in making the tough decisions.

I guess not

So you don't believe that a woman should be able to have autonomy over her own body, and should essentially just become nothing more than an incubator, forced to go through things that she has not consented to, because 'sanctity of life'?

But child rape being covered up on a massive scale is OK because 'we are human, we all make errors'?

WTF?

And it was the institution that was at fault. It was rife throughout the Catholic Church and they knew it all the way at the top. The whole reasons that the Catholic Church was so attractive to predators was because they knew the would be covered for, that whatever they did the church would cover it up.

As I said, I am a cultural catholic, I was bought up Catholic as were all my friends and extended family, and I have some very comforting memories of my childhood church, primary school and all the rituals. I always thought I would like to raise my own kids the same way.

But as I reached adulthood and had my own kids and also realised what the fuck was going on with the church, I was becoming increasingly torn and I had to back away. I can't condone that stuff.

I think your 'we are human, we all make errors' comment as a way of seemingly justify turning a blind eye to child rape is really quite upsetting.

As someone raised as RC and now a complete non-believer, you come across as someone desperate for rules so you don't need to make your own decisions. And liking the theatre of mass (understandable to a degree on a superficial level - incense and 'body of Christ' rituals v CofE blobbiness) but it is superficial.

And while I say I have comforting memories of all the rituals etc, which I do, looking back, what kind of institution gets 7 and 8 year old little girls to dress in pure white bridal style dresses in order to 'receive Christ for the first time' and gets kids to 'confess their sins' to a grown man in a little private room?!

Eeeeeeeeek!

Lol at 'CofE blobbiness'!

there is something very comforting in knowing I don't have to go out there and try to do mental and ethical gymnastics on things. I just follow the churches teachings

Very worrying. So you like being s sheep? You remind me of all.the devout, wee women in my Catholic childhood who had no opinions of their own: whatever the priest said went.

Luckily I got out aged 16, my anger about it all has dissipated in the main but I still regard anyone who believes in the propaganda as somewhat lacking in intelligence or ability to think for themselves: you've proved my point.

Assisi by Nornan MacCaig tells us all we need to know about Catholicism and the priests within it.

*The dwarf with his hands on backwards
sat, slumped like a half-filled sack
on tiny twisted legs from which
sawdust might run,
outside the three tiers of churches built
in honour of St Francis, brother
of the poor, talker with birds, over whom
he had the advantage
of not being dead yet.

A priest explained
how clever it was of Giotto
to make his frescoes tell stories
that would reveal to the illiterate the goodness
of God and the suffering
of His Son. I understood
the explanation and
the cleverness.

A rush of tourists, clucking contentedly,
fluttered after him as he scattered
the grain of the Word. It was they who had passed
the ruined temple outside, whose eyes
wept pus, whose back was higher
than his head, whose lopsided mouth
said Grazie in a voice as sweet
as a child’s when she speaks to her mother
or a bird’s when it spoke
to St Francis*

An.amazing poem.

Does Gilead answer questions, or does it only enforce answers?

I was raised Catholic and Catholicism permeated my whole childhood, family life, schooling.

How does it feel to be a convert amongst dyed in the wool Catholics like myself? Do you feel fully accepted? Do you regret not having that formative family and childhood experience?